Asbestos Analysis in Air

Few things are as harmful as the contamination of the air we breathe. Industry and its waste have already cost the places we live in, and the air inside them, much of their quality; even so, there are precautions we can take so that the situation never reaches a lethal level.

Asbestos was used for many years in structures, buildings, factories, textile products and many other applications, and today it is one of the greatest threats we face, though we recognised it far later than European countries did. Because of its molecular structure it was promoted for decades as a miracle material, and it is still used in high proportions in buildings, in fire-related materials and in insulation products. In Türkiye the danger came into the open when foreign countries sought to have their asbestos-containing ships dismantled here, and reports by the World Health Organization show that asbestos causes serious air pollution and damage to the lungs and airways, with fatal consequences. When it emerged that older structures contained a great deal of asbestos, detailed investigations were launched and found asbestos in the industrial sectors in particular, in almost every factory. Asbestos analysis in air is carried out to determine the harm the dust released from these materials does to the surrounding environment.

What Must Be Done According to the Analysis Result

The industry you operate in makes no difference. Because of the intensive asbestos use dating back roughly fifteen years, complete asbestos identification is now carried out across industrial sites and residential areas alike. Under Turkish regulations, the resulting analysis reports must be prepared by accredited laboratories authorised by the ministry. Confirming that asbestos is present is not enough: the work must go to laboratories whose identification and analysis reporting also cover the quantities of asbestos released into the air in the affected area and its surroundings, and the exposure of the personnel working there. Under the Turkish legal framework, what must be done according to the analysis result is set out in a standard form, as follows.

• Analysis of the asbestos-containing products in the relevant workplaces and surrounding areas, covering those products and the areas they affect
• Once the asbestos-containing products at the site have been identified, preparation of lists of the materials concerned and briefing of the personnel on the subject and on those materials
• Following the report establishing the presence of asbestos, periodic supervision and regular analysis reporting, together with checking of the asbestos-containing products through samples
• Preparation of an application and work plan based on the asbestos content
• Compulsory signage on asbestos-containing products
• Where measurements of the asbestos fibre components in the air produce a report showing that action is required: vacuum work to remove the asbestos, asbestos removal and disposal where necessary, and then repeating and renewing the analysis reports to establish whether those materials are mixing into the air again

Since the financial responsibility for all of this rests with the workplace, it is essential that laboratories authorised by the relevant ministry carry out their reporting according to objective evaluation principles.

Our Services

• Analysis of Asbestos
• Independent Asbestos Supervision
• Asbestos Dismantling
• Asbestos Inventory Report